Can either Smith or Randle win the award? They've got a shot with strong performances in February and March.

The goal is to make the trip to Los Angeles in April when the Wooden Award will be presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The list will be cut to 10 in March when ballots are distributed. Michigan guard Trey Burke won the award last season.

The list is dominated by a dozen seniors. Five freshmen – Randle, Parker, Andrew Wiggins of Kansas, Aaron Gordon of Arizona and Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis – were nominated, along with five sophomores.

Four teams -- Duke, Arizona, Syracuse and Michigan State -- had two nominees. But the biggest omission from the list is Michigan State guard Gary Harris. Other surprising omissions were Jahii Carson of Arizona State, Aaron White of Iowa, BYU guard Tyler Haws and freshman Joel Embiid of Kansas.